Supper with Beans
by Villain84
Summary: On a quiet day in Dirt, Beans invites Rango to her ranch for supper. Contains lots of Rango X Beans fluff. While there is some sexual content, no lemons. Feel free to read & review.
1. Chapter 1

The sun was shining brightly in the afternoon sky, baking the Mojave Desert with intense summer heat. All of the citizens of Dirt who were not busy were all staying indoors where it was nice and cool. And what better place to beat the heat than in the shade of the now crowded gas can saloon. In there, a good number of citizens, the good, the bad, and the smelly, were all laying around, playing cards, smoking, and chatting. Spoons, who was taking a day off from prospecting, was at the saloon piano, playing a cheery tune.

They all drank cold, refreshing glasses of cactus juice, and some had water. It had been about a week since Sheriff Rango had brought the water back to Dirt, and threw Mayor Tortoise John out of town. Ever since then, there had been much more water to go around, though it was still expensive and only existed in varied quantities, and was consumed sparingly.

Speaking of whom, up at the bar sat Sheriff Rango, alongside his faithful deputy, Wounded Bird. Bird drank cactus juice while Rango enjoyed a glass of water. Rango had grown accustom to the taste of cactus juice, but he still prefered water, and today was the perfect day to start using up that small supply he had.

"Mighty fine day, wouldn't you say, Wounded Bird?" Rango asked his deputy, setting down his glass for a second.

"Yep. Minus this intense heat." The towering crow replied.

"Yep, it sure is hot today. Thank God we got the saloon and drinks here. And aren't you also glad there's no crimes or crooks out today? Only trouble today so far was when we had to talk Priscilla out of bringing her guns to school. Gives us the rest of to do nothing but kick back, relax, and drink."

"Hey! I saw that ace! You're cheating!" Shouted someone from a table behind them.

"What u talkin' about? I ain't got no ace!"

"Yes, it is nice to have peaceful days like this." Wounded Bird said. "But it has been this peaceful for quite a few days now. You not bored? You don't wish there was more for us to do? More action?"

"Show us your sleeves you dirty rat!" shouted one of the card players.

"You callin' me a liar?" Suddenly, there was the sound of strong punch, and a table and some glasses being knocked over. A few angry shouts, curses, and more punching was soon being exchanged. Rango and Wounded Bird seemed to remain oblivious to it.

"I'm just saying, it's nice to take a break from our busy job as the law and security of this town." Rango said. "Our job is full of danger and hard work. We deserve a good break every now and then, and we should take advantage of them when they come."

"Come on! That all you got!" Someone shouted from the back. A large bar fight was breaking out. Chairs were being thrown about, nearly everyone was hitting and throwing each other about, someone got thrown out of the window, someone even drew a knife.

"Okay, think its time to break this puppy up?" Rango asked.

"Sure."

Rango spun around in his seat, pulled out his pistol, pointed up at the ceiling, and shot. The boom echoed throughout the saloon, seeming to freeze everything. Everyone paused at what they were doing and turned toward the sheriff.

"Thank you for you attention." Rango smiled and stood up. He started pacing around the saloon. "Now, I think I know what's going on here. It's hot out, ain't it? We're all hot, sweaty, we all came into this here saloon for some shade, and now it's all cramped in here. Tensions are really high here ain't they? We're all tired of being pushed up against each other. Am I right?" Everyone continued to stare. "Now, we all need to take a moment to calm ourselves down, take a deep breath. We all need to remember that it's crowded in here today, and we all need to respect each other, don't cross any lines we're gonna regret. Ya know what I'm saying? So again, let's all just calm down, enjoy our card games, drinks, and such, and remember we're all friends here. right?"

"We're sorry Sheriff." The rat said meekly. "We'll behave ourselves. Won't happen again. Promise."

"That's what I like to hear." Rango replied. "Alright. That'll be all. Let's enjoy the rest of this fine afternoon, shall we?" He nodded over to Spoons, who began playing the piano again, and the saloon became peaceful again. Everyone put down the furniture they were throwing about, put away their weapons, and went on with their business.

Rango sat down back at the bar in his seat next to Wounded Bird, and took another sip of his water. "There, ya see, Bird. Plenty of excitement in our job. Plenty of things to do. This here's a full time job."

"Yes. But this just one small bar fight." Wounded Bird replied. "There still a lot of time in the day. Do you really want to spend it just sitting here drinking?"

"Well, I..." Rango actually thought for a second. It occurred that things have been really quite around Dirt lately. Nothing exciting has been going on, save a few petty crimes and bar fights and rowdy kids. He actually began to miss action.

"Hey fellas," said Bufford, the toad bar tender, shining a shot glass with a rag, "If you're lookin' for something to do, I hear there's a new taco man in town. Maybe you should check him out, make sure there ain't nothin' suspicious about him."

"New taco man? Eh?" Rango replied. "Well, why not? Nothing better to do." Rango dropped a few copper coins onto the counter, which Bufford slowly swiped away, and then stood up and turned to Bird. "You up for it?"

"Right behind you." Bird stood up, grabbed up his walking stick, and trotted after Rango. They stepped through the swinging doors and into the blistering desert heat. It was a good thing they both had their hats to keep the sun out of their faces. There were very few citizens out and about outside on this hot day.

"Hey, wait." Rango suddenly said and stopped. "Where is the new stand?"

"Look down there." Wounded Bird pointed over down the street to the right of the saloon entrance. Down at the end of the main street, right next to the last true building, there was an upside-down, read-and-white stripped popcorn bag. It was mounted on a small, wooden toy wagon. In the side of the bag, there was a large hole cut, above which, in sloppy black paint, the word _Tacos_ was written.

Rango and Wounded Bird walked down the street to the stand, and walked up to the whole, assuming that was where customers would be served. At first, no one came to greet them. They peeked inside the dark stand. It was an absolute mess. There was dirt, fur sheddings, and sand all over the floor. The buzzing of flies could be heard inside. In the corner, there was a barrel with a lantern rested on it. In another courner, there was a large, moldy tortilla, towering up to the top of the bag. Next to that was a piece of lettuce, a block of cheese, a tube of hot sauce, and a pile of beans. None of this food seemed very enticing. Rango and Wounded Bird began to feel their appetites slide down the drain. They looked at each other for a moment, deciding what to do. They both agreed. They came to meet this taco stand owner, and they were not leaving until they were properly introduced.

"Look." Bird suddenly pointed out in the back of the stand, up against the wall, there was a large, curled up ball of dark fur. At first, Rango thought it was a large mass of lint, but then he saw it expanding, mixed with some snoring. It was breathing. It was sleeping. It was alive.

Suddenly, the mass of fur groaned, and slowly uncurled. It stretched out two stubby limbs, and slowly got to its feet, standing up on his hind legs. Rango got a good chance to look it over. It was a big black rat. His little pink paws were all covered with grime and soot. Even in the shadow of the stand, his face could still clearly be seen. He had a nose as dirty as his paws, thick whiskers, a thin beard, small ears, big teeth, and two scary red eyes.

"Hola, amigo." Said the rat, still groggily. "Que quieres?"

Rango tried to wake up and ignore the rat's haggard appearance. He quickly tried to remember the little bit of spanish he knew. "Umm, hola. Uhhh, hablas ingles?"

"Si. I speak a little english." The rat replied.

"Say, Bird," Rango turned to his deputy. "You wouldn't happen to know spanish, do you?"

"I fluently speak english, spanish, and navaho." the crow replied indifferently.

"It fine." The rat replied. "English is fine."

"Well, that's very polite of you, sir." Rango nodded.

"So, you want taco?" The rat started fidgeting with his paws nervously.

"Sure. Why not." Rango replied. He figured this would give them a reason to stick around more, and talk with the rat more, get to know him better.

"Why kind you want? Bean o meat?"

"We'll take two beans." Wounded Bird boomed. He reached out from his pocket, and dropped a few copper coins on the sill.

With lightning reflexes, the rat swiped out, seeming to catch the coins before they hit the sill. "Coming right up!" He announced. "Un momento."

Rato quickly grabbed up two of his pinto beans off the ground in the corner and tossed them onto the counter that stood up against the left wall of the room. Next he tore off a pit of the moldy tortilla lying up against wall, and a piece of the lettuce leaf next to it, and tossed them up next to the beans. He grabbed his knife, cut a piece of the tall, stinky block of cheese, and tossed it up as well.

"You want salsa, amigos?" Asked the rat.

"None for me, thanks." Rango replied.

"I'll have some on mine." Said Bird.

Rato unscrewed the lit to a small jar filled to the brim with red glob. He reached in with his bare, grim-covered paw, and plopped it up on the counter as well. Then he grabbed his knife again, and started chopping up the cheese, lettuce and bean.

"So, mister." Rango said, breaking the silence. "Whatsyour name?"

"Senior Rato." the Rat answered without looking up from the food.

"Hm. A rat named Rato." Rango retortled back to Bird. "Shouldn't be to hard to remember."

"What you mean by that?" Rato almost snapped back, as though he were offended.

"Nothin'." Rango answered calmly. "Just that it shouldn't be too hard to forget your name."

Without a reply, but a slight over-the-shoulder glare, Rato returned to his cooking. He was placing the chopped bean, lettuce and cheese into one tortilla.

"So, Rato, we here you're new here to Dirt." Rango continued. "What might I ask was your motive for moving here?"

"I no like to share my business with strangers." Rato replied coldly.

"Easy now partner. I'm not tryin' to butt my nose in where it don't belong or nothin'." Rango replied defensively. "Just wanna get to know you better."

Rato took a deep breath as he folded over his first taco, and answered in a sad tone. "Down in border of Mexico, it very harsh. Little food, no body nice to me. Poor business. No friends." As he finished placing the ingrediants into the second taco, and took a handful of the salsa and plopped it on top. "I come here in cargo car of freight train. I hope to make better life here." He finished folding the second taco, and brought them out to the window to hand them to Rango and Bird.

"Well, I'm sure things will get better here if you work hard, and abide by the law 'round here." Rango replied.

"What if someone steal from me?" Rato asked. "I slit throat of anyone who steal from me." He grabbed up his knife again, and started flipping it and swinging it around between his fingers. Clearly, he was very skilled with it, and has had a lot of practice with it.

"If you do any murdering 'round here, you best watch your back mate. You break any law in this town, and Sheriff Rango's gonna hunt you down! And as for them crooks who steal from you, if there are any that dumb, you best let the sheriff deal with them too."

Rato took another look at the lizard before him, looking at his vest, hat, gun holster, and finally, his badge.

"You Sheriff Rango?" He asked, astounded.

"Yessir." Rango replied. "And this here's my trusty deputy, Wounded Bird." With his free hand, gestured Bird, who was biting into his taco.

Rato glared at the duo for a second.

"So just you remember that Rato." Rango continued. "If there be anyone willing to rob you, Rango here's got the streets safe from them punks. You just best watch your step and make sure you don't go deteriorating into one of them punks."

Still, Rato glared.

"You have a good day now, buddy." Rango's tone returned to a much friendlier one. He turned and walked away from the stand, back to the center of Dirt they way he and Bird had come.

"Your tacos could use a little work." Bird said as he followed Rango. His face was cringing a little from the bitter taste of the grime and dust. He also found it hard to choke down some of the sand bits. It took a minute for creamy, tastey, spicy flavor of the bean, cheese and salsa to reach his tongue.

Rato continued to stare his customers down as they wandered off. He did not like Rango's attitude, the way he talked to him. After a minute, he decided to let it go, and went back to his corner to get back to his nap.

* * *

><p>"So, what do ya think Bird?" Rango asked his deputy as they walked away from the stand. "Think we can trust this feller?"<p>

"I wouldn't count on it." Bird replied. "He has criminal intent in his eyes."

" I thought I noticed that too. Good thing we set him straight and showed him that we're the law 'round here."

"Mmm Hm." Bird tossed the last small bit of his taco into his mouth, which he swallowed in a minute.

Rango looked down tastelessly at his taco which he was still holding. The tortilla shell felt dusty, grimy, and flaky to his touch. It was clearly still covered in dirt and sand. At last, he lifted it up to his mouth and took a small bite.

At once, his mouth was filled with a disgusting, bitter, sandy taste. After a second, the taste of the shell was overcome my a sick, gross taste with a creamy texture. It must have been the cheese. Then came the crunchy, stale bean.

It was disgusting! Rango spit out the taco all over the ground. Then with his free hand, he wiped the crumbs off his tongue. He turned back to Bird.

"How can you eat something like that?" He whined.

"It is not the dirtiest food I have ever had." Bird replied indifferently.

"Hey there, Rango. Mornin' Bird." Said a light, hoarse voice suddenly. The two lawmen turned to face Waffles, the short little horned toad.

"Well, monin' Waffles." Rango replied cheerfully. "You on your way to the general store I suppose?" Once a week, Waffles went to the general store to get some supplies that he needed at home.

"Yessir." He answered. "Say Rango, you gonna finish that?"

Rango looked down at his taco. Waffles must have seen him spit it out. "It's all yours little buddy." Rango handed Waffles his taco, which he happily took and took a large bite of it. He munched on it happily, much to Rango's surprise. He seemed to be enjoying it even more than Bird did. _How can anyone eat something so unsanitary?_ He thought.

"Say, this is de-lish!" Waffles exclaimed. "Where did you fellas get this?"

"From Rato." Bird bommed. "The new taco man." He pointed back to the popcorn bag taco stand.

"Well, I better pay this Rato guy a visit later." Waffles said. "I'll see you guys later." He walked on ahead to Dirty Willie's General Store.

"Don't forget." Bird called after him, "Tomorrow night is Poker Night. And remind Spoons if you see him."

"Huh? Oh yeah. Sure thing." Waffles called back."

"Poker Night?" Rango turned to Bird. He was starting to drop his western accent a little, going back to his normal tone.

"Every week, me, Spoons, and Waffles get together and play Poker." Bird replied. "We occasionally have a few other people join us."

"Mind if I come? Got room for another guy?"

"Sure thing. I know Waffles and Spoons would love to play with you."

"Alrighty then. Cool." Rango cheered up and his western accent came back.

They looked back over at Waffles heading into the store, when Rango noticed a familiar hamster-drawn cart, loaded with goods. And just getting off the cart was none other than his lady love, dressed in one of her usual blue dresses, her light-brown curly hair dangling downward.

"Hey, Beans!" Rango called over as he started rushing her way.

Beans turned her head in the direction of the voice, and embraced him as he came over and gave her a hug.

"Rango!" She exclaimed, both in surprise and joy. "How are ya?"

"Oh, you know. Same old same old. Nothin' much to do today. Pretty quiet day." As he pulled away from her, he gave her a quick peck on the cheek, and she pecked him back.

"That explains why yer out 'ere buggin' me." Beans laughed. She looked to the side and saw Wounded Bird coming over.

"Mornin' Bird." She called over to him.

"Good morning, Beans." The crow replied.

"So, you here to sell some stuff?" Rango asked.

"Yep." Beans replied happily. "Now that there's plenty o water for my ranch, things have been workin' and going smoothly again."

"That's great honey." Said Rango. "Say, you need any help with them crates?"

"Sure." She replied. She walked around to the side and picked one crate off the cart. Rango and Bird followed around and did the same. The box that Rango picked up was pretty heavy. He had a hard time lifting it at first. At last, Bird took the crate from him, and Rango took a smaller, lighter box.

Rango followed Bird inside of the general store. Clearly, the place had been dusted, as Rango did not sneeze like he did the last time he entered the store. The shelves were stacked with all kinds of food, tools, and knick-knacks. The store owner, Dirty Willie, must have been in the back, because the only ones in the store were himself, Beans, and Bird.

"You kin' just put them boxes here on the counter." Said Beans, as she put her own crate down.

Bird and Rango walked up to the counter and gently put their boxes down on it.

"Well, thank you, boys." Said Beans.

"No prob' honey." Rango replied cheerfully. "We'll just get to the rest now."

"Nah, that's okay. These here boxes were the heaviest things. I kin' handle the rest."

"Well, okay than." Rango said. "Looks like our work here is done, Bird." Rango fiddled with his belt, and turned around towards the door.

"Say, Rango," Beans suddenly called out, stopping him.

"Yeah?" He turned around to face her.

"When I'm done here with business, how 'bout you come on over to my ranch for supper?"

Rango's heart sored. The woman of his dreams inviting him to her ranch for supper? He had not been so happy for a long time. "Why, I'd love that, Beans." He replied as calmly as he could, and without shouting.

"Super." She answered happily. "So, I'll just finish up business here, then we'll head on up there in my here cart?"

"Sure thing. See ya then, hun." And with that, he tipped his hat to her and headed out the door, followed by Bird.

"Well, Bird, looks like I got myself a date tonight."

"Yep. Looks like it." Bird replied, somewhat moodily.

"So, while I'm gone, if there's trouble, think you can cover it?"

"Sure thing."

"Thanks man."

Rango began to notice his partner's sullen attitude, more so than usual. "Say, have you found yourself a gal yet?"

"Not yet. I was thinking I ride off to my uncle's settlement this weekend. I'm sure I'll find plenty of crows there."

"I'm sure you will, my friend. And no doubt lots of gals will wanna piece of a swell fella like you."

"Thank you."

Suddenly, a young kangaroo rat, dressed in a black top hat and black silkin waist coat, with a gold undershirt, came hopping up to greet the duo.

"Ahh, Rango, Wounded Bird, just the boys I wanted to see." He said in a gentlemanly voice.

"And a good morning to you too, Mister Mayor." Rango tipped his hat to Mayor Marty.

"Good morning, sir." Bird muttered as he did the same.

"There a problem, sirt?" Rango asked quickly.

"Not at all." Marty replied calmy. "Just wanted to check in with you boys quick. Why don't you come on into my office for a second. Help yourselves to a cold glass of water?"

"Well, I can't say no to that." Rango replied as they followed the mayor to city hall.

* * *

><p>A minute later, Rango and Wounded Bird were sitting comfortably in two sturdy wooden chairs as Mayor Marty, standing up at the desk in front of them, poured water from a clear glass vial into three glasses.<p>

Rango looked around the office for a moment. It was the same room in which Rango had met Mayor Tortoise John. Marty had not been in charge that long and had not done much redecorating yet. He still kept the desk, and the shades, although the paintings of tortoises had been taken down from the walls in the waiting room, leaving the walls barren at the time. For his assistant, Marty still kept John's foxy assistant, Angelique, who was busy going through some files and papers when the trio had come in.

As one of Dirt's smartest, kindest, and finest schoolmasters, Marty had been selected to be mayor just the day after Tortoise John was dragged away, and presumably killed, by Rattlesnake Jake. Since then, Marty had been a fair, kind ruler of Dirt. He always listened to his people when they had something to say, or complaints to make, and usually did everything in his power to make things right for them.

He was good friends with Rango and Wounded Bird as well. As their boss, and his law enforcers, he rather had to be. Together, the three of them had kept the town in order. Rango and Bird arrested those who broke the law, and Marty was sure to punish them in whatever manner seemed fair. Thankfully, there had not been too many instances where they had to punish or arrest anyone.

While kind and devoted, Marty was young, only a little older than Rango, and fairly naive. He occasionally could not see some problems as big as they actually were. Thankfully, if he ever got himself into a fix, Rango would help fish him out.

"So boys," Marty said as he finished pouring the water, and Rango and Bird took their glasses, "Any trouble today?"

"Not really, Sir." Rango said cheerfully. "Just a little bar fight earlier."

"Well, you seemed to have handled it well." Marty said taking a sip of his water. "I did not hear of any trouble down at the saloon."

"We also met the new taco man." Wounded Bird added. "He seems very suspicious. I would not trust him too much."

"Well, that's a shame." Marty said. "It really is sad when we have a new neighbor and we can't trust him."

"Sad, sad thing sir." Rango said, shaking his head before sipping his glass again.

Marty took a short breath and stood up and faced the balcony for a second. The doors were wide open, letting fresh air into the room. Rango guessed that from where he was standing, Marty could see down below most of the people of Dirt in the streets.

"You know Rango," Marty said finally, "I want to believe that the people of this town are good people, and that the majority of them know to do the right thing. All I really want is for all of us to live together in peace."

"Well, unfortunately, that's just not the case." Said Wounded Bird. "All people have some form of greed or hatred in their hearts, some more than others."

"So it seems." Marty sighed, turning back to his lawmen. "So for now, the peace that we deliver, the peace we've been seeing today, is the best kind of peace we're going to get. I suppose that's good enough for me."

"Well, we'll be sure to keep up the good work, in that case, and keep this peace about." Rango announced before finishing his water and placing the glass back on the desk.

"That's the spirit, my boy." Marty cheered. "So then, why don't you boys get back on out there. I just wanted to check in with you, make sure everything's all good."

"Well, actually, sir," Rango said. "I was thinking in a few minutes I could take the rest of the afternoon off." Wounded Bird stood up and handed his empty glass back to Marty.

"Sure thing, Rango." Marty replied. He knew that Rango was not one to shirk his duties. If he clocked out early, it was either really important, or like today, when there was nothing important to be done, and he needed to be somewhere. "What for, might I ask."

"Well, I got myself a date tonight." Rango smiled. "Goin' up to Beans' ranch for supper."

"Ah, Beans." Chuckled Marty. "I might have known. She's a fine woman, ain't she?"

"That she is, sir. That she is."

**Author's Note: Well, thanks for reading, anyone who has. It may be a while before I update. I'm going to busy with a couple other projects for a while, but I'll get back to this when I can. **

**Please review (and subscribe if you're up for it). Any kind of criticism is good with me. Thank You.**


	2. Chapter 2

Rango and Wounded Bird happily strode out of the doors of town hall, and back into the baking sunlight outside, feeling completely refreshed from their drinks. Rango was especially cheerful because Marty had given him permission to go to Beans' for supper. It just so happens that as they were doing so, and walking down the street towards it, Beans was just walking out of the general store.

"Beans, darlin," Rango called over to her as they approached, "You all done with business? Ready to go?"

"Yep. All done here. Every-thing's sold." She replied happily as she gave the hamster at the cart a pat. "Ready to go?"

"Yep." Rango strode on over to the cart and helped Beans up into the driver's seat. The cart was completely empty now. Before climbing in himself, Rango turned back to Wounded Bird.

"So, again, you sure you're okay if I leave you here? If there's trouble, you got in?"

"No problem." Bird boomed. "I'll have it covered. You can count on me. Just go and enjoy your evening."

"Thanks, partner." Rango smiled. He was happy he had someone like Bird for a deputy. He was so reliable and helpful. Rango extended his fist, Bird did the same, and the two began their handshake they worked out. Fist pump, then wiggle fingers with feathers. It was really Rango's idea, that shake, and they did not use it that often, though they both had fun with it. "Well, see ya tomorrow, then."

"Hey, Rango! Get in here! You comin' or what?" Beans hissed down to him.

And with that, Rango tipped his hat to Bird, and walked around the hamster at the reins to the other side of the cart, and pulled himself up into the passenger seat beside Beans.

"Later Bird," Beans called down to Bird.

"You two have a good night." The crow nodded and raised his fingers in a farewell howdy salute.

"_Ya!_" Beans yelled as she gently whipped the hamster with the reins. On command, the hamster grunted slightly, and started speed-walking down the street, out of Dirt and into the desert, though not disturbing anyone walking along the street. Getting comfortable for the ride, Rango scooted closer to Beans.

"So, how did business go today?" He asked after a few seconds of silence.

"Terrific." She smiled, though keeping her eyes on the road. "Sold a bunch of hamster n' guinea pig fur, and a little other junk I won't be needin' anymore. Made a good profit from it all. Just take a look at my coin purse!" Quickly, she reached into her right pocket, pulled out small, brown leather bag, and handed it to Rango.

Though it was about the size of a fist, it was pretty heavy, about as heavy as a hamster shoe. Rango carefully opened the top of the bag, careful not to loose the string that held it closed, or let the contents spill out. As he skimmed through the bag with his finger, he found that it was full of silver dollars and pesos. He took one out and bit it to make sure it was real. _Cold, hard cash_ that hurt his teeth. He wiped the spit and bite-mark on his vest, and dropped it back into the bag.

"This is great, Hun," Rango cheered as he pulled the string and closed the bag, then slipped it back into Beans' pocket. And then he started laughing. "And you thought a week ago that you were going to loose your ranch."

"Well, I almost did," she replied in a slightly sad tone. "If ya didn't bring back the water, I could not have irrigated the land enough to feed all the hamsters, guinea pigs and road-runners we keep there. Not to mention I barely had enough for ma-self."

"Well then, I guess ya should be happy I came into your life."

"Oh, I am." She replied. "It's a blessing you came."

* * *

><p>They continued trek on through the desert. It was a pretty calm journey, though pretty long, about an hour-long ride. The desert area they traveled was pretty flat, sand and soil stretching out for miles into the horizon, though there were mountains and hills seen in the distances at times. They passed by many tumbleweeds, and many cacti of different species and appearances. An occasional hawk flew overhead, but it gave the couple no trouble. It had likely already eaten. Also thankfully, no thugs or robbers had troubled or attacked them. They continued to chat nearly the whole way, having very colorful conversation.<p>

At last, as they approached their destination, the sun was starting to decent into the horizon. The sky around the burning ball of bright orange was turning a mix of orange and white, though slightly darker than the sun. The few clouds were a pretty shade of orange and purple. As the sun started to set in the west, the horizon in the east had begun to encroach over the sky in a dark bluish-purplish shade. The sand and whatever plants were on it were also darkening in their colors. As the hamster continued to pull the cart just a little further, Rango was just finishing telling Beans a joke.

"And then Dracula said, 'tell thaut to my dentist!'" Rango finished his joke, imitating Dracula's Transylvanian accent. Both of them laughed pretty hard at that, especially at that cute accent.

"Well, we're here." Beans finally announced as she pulled back on the reins and brought the cart and hamster to a stop. Rango nearly fell off at the sudden halt, but he pushed back into his seat quick enough.

He looked out in front at Beans' ranch. They were in an area of the desert with more earth and soil than sand, with cracks from dryness here and there. There were also small green bushes scattered all over the place. Right ahead of them was a large, though somewhat rustic and worn-down shack. It somewhat resembled the house from _The Little House on the Prairie_. Down to the left of the house, along a wire fence, was a large, red-painted barn with a tall silo. Both buildings seemed to be equal in height, about two stories each, though evidently the barn was wider and covered more square area. There was also a small outhouse next to the shack.

Outside the buildings, more fencing stretched down across the flat plains for about a little less than a mile ahead. Inside that fencing, dozens of hamsters, guinea pigs, and road runners were scattered everywhere, either running about freely, grazing on the grass and bushes, or napping. Also, in the middle of the field was a large humanoid figure, who was heading toward them. He must have been a ranch worker who worked for Beans. He was too far away for Rango to get a good look at him.

"Well, at first glance, I'd say this is a real pretty place to live, Beans." Rango said complimentary. "Very quaint."

"Glad you think so." Beans replied cheerfully. "Me, my daddy and momma, and our few workers built the whole place ourselves."

"Well, y'all did a great job!" Rango hopped down out of his seat, and before Beans could do the same, he rushed around the hamster to Beans' side, and offered her his hand to help her down.

"Why thank you." Beans answered with a slight blush as she took Rango's hand and stepped down.

"My pleasure." He smiled, also blushing as he let her go.

Finally, the figure that was in the field a moment ago hopped over the fence and walked up to the couple. It was a large, muscular, almost hulky-looking horned lizard. He was about as tall as Beans, and wore a pair of blue overalls.

"Hi, Miss Beans." the lizard said in a southern accent.

"Hi, hun." She replied. Rango felt a sudden spark of anger and jeolous as they said that.

The lizard noticed the chameleon at Beans' side. "Well hell'o there." He said kindly, and extended his left hand. "Ma name's Flapjack."

"Oh, hello there." Rango took Flapjack's hand and shook. Flapjack had a very strong grip, and almost crushed his hand. "That's a mighty firm handshake you got there."

"Why, thank ya, sir. You too."

"Name's Rango." He stuttred suddenly, determined not to show his jeolousy or annoyance with this man.

"So, you're Mister Rango?" Said Flapjack. "A pleasure to finally meet you, sir."

"Nice to meet you too." Rango replied. His western act was starting to drop a little.

"Flapjack is my last worker on this here ranch." Beans cut in. "He's worked for my daddy 'bout a year before he... passed away, and he's worked for me ever since."

"Well, it's nice to see you have someone to help you out around here." Rango replied.

"Mm-hm. Would be hard running a ranch with one set o hands."

"Miss Beans." Said Flapjack. "I finished choppin' the wood like ya said. And all the animals are out and about. Precious fell down and broke a talon today though."

"Oh dear. That's a shame." Beans put a hand to her chin, nervously. They must have been talking about a roadrunner, Rango thought.

"I got it all bandaged up, but I think she could use some better treatment." Flapjack continued.

"I got some medicine today at the general store." Beans replied. "We'll give it to her tomorrow."

"Okay then. I'm sure she'll be fine till then. So, think it's time to bring everyone in?"

"Yep. I'd say its about that time. Rango, would you mind helpin' Flapjack bring them into the barn."

"Why, sure thing, Beans." Rango replied, raising his head proud and strong.

"Thank you, hun. I'll just bring your vest in. Wouldn't want that thing gettin' messy, now would we?"

"Thanks." Beans helped Rango out of his vest, and also took his hat, leaving his white shirt and jeans and boots.

"I'll get supper going too." She called back.

"So, Rango, sir. Ready to git some work done here?" Flapjack asked.

"Sure thing." And with that, the two lizards headed out into the fields to round up the animals. Rango was planning to take advantage of this time to get to know Flapjack some more. He looked over at the horned lizard, and suddenly, a thought came to him.

"Say, Flapjack, you look awfully familiar. You wouldn't happen to know a fella named Waffles, wouldja?"

"Waffles, why he's ma little brother he is."

"Hm. Funny. Waffles never told us he had a brother."

"We live together, but we don't talk 'bout each other that much."

"Sounds like you two have a very loving bond." Rango joked.

"We do, actually." Flapjack smiled back. They were close to a road runner now with a bandage on her left talon. She was mostly white, with many black spots freckling her feathers. She stood up tall and shifted her head a lot.

"This here's Precious." Flapjack said. "She's a fine beauty. One of our best road runners she is. She's a fast runner, purty strong, and very obedient. You wanna lead her to the barn?"

"Naw. That's okay." Rango replied. He wanted to try out his luck with a challenge. "You got any tougher road runners? I like the strong, free spirited kind, wanna see if I can break 'em!"

"Well, we got Buck over there." Flapjack pointed to a black roadrunner pecking at the ground. "He's pretty tough and stubborn."

"Well, we'll see just how stubborn he wants to be when I'm done with him." Rango stretched his arms out and made his knuckles crack. He was personally kind of nervous about facing Buck.

"You sure you got 'im?" Flapjack called to him as he walked over to Buck. He himself reached for Precious' reins.

"Not to worry, Jack. I'll do just fine."

"Because I should warn you, he ain't all too comfortable 'round strangers!"

Rango gulped. Now he was really nervous. He was closer to buck now. Standing up, Buck's head came just a few inches over his.

"Hey, Buck." Rango said calmly. "Now, let's all be nice here, and let's get you into the barn." He slowly reached out for the reins hanging down from Buck's head. "Come on now, don't be shy."

Suddenly, Buck's head snapped toward him, and he hissed. Rango panicked for a second. He didn't know what do to. Without thinking, before Buck could get away, he grabbed the reigns. Immediately, Buck snapped forward, dragging Rango along with him. Rango struggled to keep his footing up, and ran alongside the Road Runner. Buck ran all along the field, kicking up sand and dirt. Rango screamed as Buck dragged him along.

In the house, Beans heard the screaming, and looked out the window to see what was going on. She saw Rango screaming and being dragged all along by Buck, the most stubborn of her road runners. Beans could not help but laugh at the whole scene. What was he thinking? Taking on Buck?

Flapjack had two road runners now, their reins in his hand. There were two more at the end of the field. "Mister Rango!" He shouted after him, "Do you need help?"

"No, I'm okay!" Rango weakly called after him. "Just given' em' a chance to let out all is energy, given' him an exercise, you know!"

Buck continued to run around crazy for about ten more minutes, and Rango held on for dear life during that time, still getting beaten up by the ground, arms straining to hold on.

Finally, Buck got tired, and figured that Rango wasn't going to let him go. He understood what he wanted him to do. He walked himself into the barn. It was a large barn, with hay in each of the several cells. Buck walked himself into his stable. As soon as he was in, Rango released his rein, and fell upon the floor, panting heavily. His clothes were covered in dirt and smudges.

Flapjack came in with the four other road runners, and with his free hand, closed the door to Buck's stable with his free hand.

"You did a great job out there, Mister Rango." Flapjack said to Rango who was still lying there. "You held on to Buck like a true champ!"

"Why... thank you... Flap." Rango panted.

"I say you got the makins of a real rodeo star."

"Thanks."

Flapjack led the other runners to their stables and said goodnight to them each. After knowing them for a while, they were probably very comfortable around him and following his lead. "Now then, ready to get the guinea pigs n' hamsters in?"

Rango's heart sank. _More work? Hold it together, mate. It will all be worth it in the end._ "Sure thing." Slowly, his limbs wobbling, he got to his feat.

"Don't worry. It ain't hard. Not like them runners. We just need some rice to coax 'em over here." Flapjack reached into a pail next to one stable door, and took out a handful of grains and rice. Rango walked over and did the same.

* * *

><p>Rango and Flapjack held out their hands to the guinea pigs and hamsters to follow them toward the shed. The shouted things like "Here pigs, here piggies" and "Come on Jenny". When they had caught their interest and flocked them together, they started backing up to the barn with them. They had this one pretty much under control.<p>

"So, Flapjack," Rango started talking "You've been working for Beans for long?"

"Yessir." He replied. "Her momma n' daddy hired me a while back just before they started building the ranch. Along with me, they hired a few other guys, one was my best friend, Dan the kangaroo rat. We never got paid much, but we were happy for a while. We all worked hard, made a decent livin' off the animals we had."

"Sounds great. But, what happened to the other workers?"

"Well, two years ago, Beans' momma died of the fever. It's a shame, too. She was a fine woman. A sweet, lovin', carin' one. And then two months ago, Beans' daddy-" Just then, Flapjack looked around, and then lowered his voice. "-got drunk, and fell down a mineshaft, and died there."

"I've heard some nasty things about Beans' daddy." Rango whispered.

"Well, most of 'em are true. Believe me." And then Flapjack's voice and tone returned to normal. "Since those two things, things 'ave been goin' downhill 'round here. The other workers here quit shortly after Bean's daddy passed, and the drought started. I suppose they had better job opportunities, better places to go."

"But you stayed?"

"I did. Waffles and me, we didn't have much besides our jobs. I didn't have no where else to go. I'm not a very smart man, Mister Rango, I couldn't really get myself a better job than this. So I was the last hand Beans had 'round here the last month. Maybe someday the other workers will come back, or Beans will hire new hands. I've talked to Dan a bit, and he's thinkin' of comin' back maybe. Now, I'd say I know her purty well now. Sometimes I think of her as a sister. If you have a question about 'er, ask and I might be able to answer it."

Rango felt his pang of jealousy return after those last few comments. Just when he was starting to feel a deep friendship developing with the big, brawny lizard who made him look like a pipsqueak (funny thing was though, even though they were brothers, Flapjack made Waffles look like a munchkin). But there actually was something he wanted to know about Beans.

"I do have a question about here." He said. "You know that thing where she freezes up? What is that? I- I never really understood it."

"Oh, that? She does that when she's under a lot o' stress, or repressing something, or really scared. Sometimes her mind can't take it, so she just freezes up to take a second to calm down, I suppose. She also does it sometimes when she's out in the desert sometimes when she's tryin' to hide from a hawk or somethin'."

"Oh. I see. Thanks for that."

"Ma pleasure."

Soon, they had the animals in their cells, all snug and warm. They also refilled their water troughs and grain troughs for them so they would have enough to eat.

After that, they headed outside the barn. By the time they were done, the sun had set, and the sky was lit dark blue, with thousands of stars now visible. As far as they could see, the land was shrouded in a dark blanket. The sand, earth, and plants all darker now.

By now, Rango was feeling pretty good about himself. He felt much more comfortable around Flapjack, now that he had gotten to know him better.

"Thanks for all your help today, Mister Rango, sir." Flapjack said as they walked over to Beans' house.

"No problem. It was for Beans afterall." Rango replied with pride. "But, say, Flap, I got another question, something I need to know. Have you and Beans ever..."

"Done something that would indicate us bein' a couple?" Flapjack finished for him.

"Yeah. That."

Flapjack laughed. "No, 'course not! I told ya before. Beans is my boss, or a friend at the most. I told ya I think of 'er as a sister sometimes, but that's 'bout it."

Rango felt relieved to hear that. "Well, that's good to know. Thanks."

"Besides, I hear she's your gal now, ain't she?" Flapjack gave him a playful nudge on he shoulder.

Rango took a second to reply. He was surprised that news like that flew around through Dirt so fast. He did indeed love Beans, and he was pretty sure she had strong feelings for him in return. After all, they did have that passionate kiss in the vault that time of John's overthrowing last week, and they have had a few other touching moments before that, like that moment looking at the wondering cacti, and Beans asked him "is there someone special in your life", hinting she might want to be that someone special, and they _have _been going steady this last week. But Rango still was not quite that sure that they were ready to take their relationship a step further.

After another second, they were at the top of Beans' porch. Some of the floorboards creaked a bit as they stepped on them. Something smelled good. Must have been supper. Through the windows, there was a dim flickering light. Beans must have light a few candles or a chandelier to lighten the place.

Suddenly, Beans opened the door with a creak. "You boys done yet?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am." Said Flapjack. "Everyone's in the barn."

"You boys look like you had a decent workout." She noticed their dirty clothes. "Especially you, Rango. You messen' with ol' Buck?" She started to giggle as she remembered his screams.

"Yep. Quite a wild fella, ain't he?" Rango replied with a smile. "I can see where he got his name."

Everyone had a good chuckle over that little joke.

"Well then, I'll be outta' here." Said Flapjack, "See ya tomorrah, Miss Beans." He turned to leave.

"See you tomorrow, Flap." Beans replied as she waved goodbye.

"See ya 'round, mate." Rango gave him a quick salute. He then noticed that Flapjack was heading for a road runner tied up to a post just down the fence from the house a bit. He would get on that runner, and ride across the desert through the night on him back to Dirt to his and Waffle's home.

"You think he'll be okay out in the night like this?" Rango turned back to Beans.

"Don't worry about him. He'll be fine. He's been riding home at this time for a lot of times. He usually goes home a little earlier anyway, but he has a way of avoiding trouble, so don't worry."

"Oh, that's good to know."

Beans perked up into a happier mood before continuing. "Now come on in. Supper's almost ready!"

"Alrighty! Well, it certainly smells enticin'. I'm lookin' forward to it!"

"Great! Come on in." Beans turned around and went through the door back into the house. Rango was about to follow her, but then he had the sudden instinct to turn around and look up at the sky.

He turned back and walked out to the edge of the porch, and looked up at the starry night sky. There must have been billions of stars out tonight. Suddenly, a small streak of white crossed over the blue. A shooting star! Rango held his breath, closed his eyes, and made a brief wish. He almost wished that all would work well with Beans tonight, but then he thought maybe he did not want to rely on a wish for that. He wanted to take that into his own hands. So, he held his head high, and hoped that things would work, and wished himself luck.

"Rango!" Beans called out. "You comin' in or what?"

Startled, Rango turned to face Beans' head sticking out the door.

"Oh, right. Coming." He stuttered. He walked up to the door, and Beans held the door open for him as he came in.

**Authors Note: I'd like to thank everyone who has reviewed me so far. I'm glad this story has so many fans, more than I was actually expecting.**

**I was kind of depressed when I wrote the second half of this chapter. I'll be honest, my mind's on Naruto lately, so it's kind of hard to concentrate on this. Also, I'm having a bit of trouble and disagreements with my parents about my summer.**

**This is my first full romance story, so it may not come out as well as some might be expecting, but I'm working hard at it, and I've already had the whole story planned out pretty much right when I started. Expect a lot of Rango X Beans fluff next chapter.**

**Another thing, a little game: My OC, Flapjack, is based off a character from another movie. See if you can guess who it is.**


	3. Chapter 3

Rango followed Beans into the house, stepping carefully on the creaking floorboards. It was a quaint little home she had here. As Rango entered the house, he saw that they were in the living room. There was a large indian rug across the floor, with a slightly worn and torn sofa and a rocking chair on it. They were facing an empty coffee table, and the front wall, where Rango saw there was a large fireplace. It was not a very cold night, so Beans must not have thought it necessary to light a fire. Rango also noticed a coat rack, holding a coat that must be Beans', and a bonnet hat, as well as his own cowboy hat, vest, and gun holster.

Rango also saw on the mantel of the fireplace a dusty brass mini-grandfather clock that read 8:30. He heard a soft tick-tock as the pendulum swung. On the left side of the clock was an empty ash tray and some coasters. On the right was a dusty picture frame. Curious to see it, Rango slowly walked over to the mantel, and reached up and took the photo.

With his free hand, he carefully brushed some of the dust out of the way so he could see the picture clearly. It was an old photograph of what looked like a family of Desert Iguanas. The one on the left looked somewhat like Beans, wearing a similar dress, though her hair was curlier, and her eyes were green. Next to her was a male who looked somewhat fat, with bulky arms, and wore overalls and no shirt underneath. He also had a poorly shaven face it seemed. In the center between them was a smaller iguana, who looked quite cute. She had a pink ribbon around her neck, and her hair was quite familiar.

Could this girl in the middle be Beans? Rango thought. And these two must be her parents?

"Those two are my momma and daddy, if that's what you're wondering."

Rango spun around statled to face Beans. She suddenly looked a little sad. "I-I'm so sorry for going through your stuff." He stuttered. He spoke in his normal voice, not his western accent. He perfered to speak like that when there was no need to put on his tough guy pose, especially when it was the end of the day, and he was just relaxing. He also liked to use that tone when he and Beans were alone.

"Don't worry 'bout it." Beans answered calmly, coming closer and taking the picture from him. If it had been a stranger going through her personal belongings, she probably would have grabbed her shotgun or something. But of course, Rango was different.

"I was a little girl when we took this photo," She continued, somewhat in a whisper, "It was on the day we finished building this house." It was then that Rango noticed it was a bright sunny day in the background, with the house a small distance behind them. "Those days seem so long ago."

"Were you happy with your parents?" Rango asked.

"Yes. We were all happy," She shrugged. "Times may have gotten rough later, and my daddy did get drunk and beat momma at times. But no matter what life threw at us, we always seemed to pull through in the end."

"Well, that's the important thing, isn't it? That you all stuck through hard times together? And that you all loved each other?"

"Well yeah, that is pretty important." Beans turned to face Rango. "Thanks." She smiled weakly.

Rango smiled back. Beans turned around after a second to put the picture back on the mantle. Whatever was getting her down during this short time of looking back seemed to be out of her head. Suddenly, a bell dinged. from the room over.

"Oh!" She exclaimed. "Supper's ready!" She turned and headed toward the next room over. There was a flickering orange light coming from the doorway with no door, meaning Beans had lit a candle there.

Rango followed her, walking past a staircase and into the lit room, which turned out to be the kitchen and dining room. At the left of first walking in, backed up against the wall was a large, old fashioned, round metal stove. A pipe was smoke pipe was leading up through the roof and out of the house. Beans slipped on some big oven mitts, and crouched over the oven, carefully unlocking the lock and opening the hatch. A cloud of smoke poured out, and Rango could smell something sweet and spicy cooking.

"Certainly smells good." Rango smiled.

"You can go have a seat," Said Beans. "I'll be up in a sec. There's some rice on the table. Mind servin' us up?"

"Sure thing." Rango turned and from her and walked toward the table. He noted the counter and some cupboards in the kitchen, and some pots and pans hanging from a rack. He stepped passed the counter and into what must have been the dining room. There was round wood four-legged table with four seats. At two seats across from each other, there were two plates with a fork and knife at their sides. In the center of the table there was a bowl of white rice, as Beans had said. There was also what looked like a bottle of wine, two wine glasses, and a single candle stick. The candle there was tall, though melting with a small trail of wax dripping from it.

_Well, doesn't this look romantic?_ Rango thought. He also noted that there were three windows in the whole room. One in the kitchen on the left wall, one in the dining room on the left, and one in the back wall. Windows and doors are usually one tends to notice after he examines the contents of the actual room.

The sweet aroma of the dinner filled the room some more. Rango went right to work. He took the wooden serving spoon and scooped up a heaping spoonful of steaming rice. It must have been taken off the stove barely five minutes ago. He gently plopped it down on the plate closer to him. He then got an equally big scoop and plopped it on the opposite one.

He decided to pour the wine next. He reached for the bottle, and tried to unscrew it, but it was pretty tight in there. There was no corkscrew, so he tried prying the cork off with his teeth. After a second, the cork came loose, and the bottle jerked back so hard, it almost flew out of his hands. He held on to it though, and did not spill a drop either.

He poured the refreshing-looking red liquid into the glass at the place closest to him, and then the other one, still never spilling a single drop. The table looked pretty nicely set. He heard the door of the oven clang shut suddenly. Beans must have taken the diner out. Rango wanted to see it, so he sat down at the farther seat. It was a pretty comfy, sturdy wooden chair. The table came up just below his ribcage.

"Alright! Supper time!" Beans came walking around the counter suddenly, and holding in both of her mitted hands, she held a tray which held a huge grasshopper, cooked to a delicious golden-brown, about the size of Spoons or Waffles.

"Ho-Ly Ta-quito!" Rango shouted wide-eyed, "That's gotta be the biggest grasshopper I've ever seen!"

"It was on sale at the market yesterday," Beans shrugged.

She carried it to the table, and set it down at the left side of the table between them. He then noticed that embedded next to some purple and green flowers. They must have been either for presentation, or for flavoring. He could not tell.

She picked up a big knife and fork for carving that she had brought in with her. "What part do you want?" She asked as she rubbed the blade of the knife against the fork to sharpen it.

"Hm..." He put a hand to his chin to think. All of the grasshopper looked so good. "How about... a piece of the thorax to start?"

"Meaning the main body? The torso?"

"Yeah, that part, please."

"Good choice. The torso of these big bugs is always the juiciest and sweetest part." She stuck her fork in between the wings until it hit home, and pierced the skin of the thorax, letting a little bit of its black blood seep out. She reached her knife in there as well, and pushed down a little harder as she began cutting Rango a piece. He could see by her face that she was pushing hard down on it.

After another second, she finally sliced up a large slab of meat. She pulled it up with the fork, and held it up, black juice dripping from it. Rango held out his plate, to a spot the rice was not taking up, and she plopped it down.

"I'm gonna take a piece of that tail," she smirked, "That's the _crunchiest_ part!"

She sank her fork and knife into a part close to the edge of the abdomen of the hopper, sawing away at it. Rango waited for her to get her food ready before he started eating. That was the polite thing to do. A little juice leaked out from the abdomen, though not as much as the thorax. When she cut through the whole tail, she carefully lifted it over to her plate, a few flakes drifting off the slab, and sat down.

Rango decided it was okay to eat now. He picked up his fork and knife, and took cut a piece of his meat. It cut through quite easily. He lifted his fork to his mouth, and bit down on it. As he chewed on it, his mouth was filled with a sweet, salty, tangy taste. It was truly a heavenly flavor.

"Mmmmm..." He groaned. He finally swallowed when he had chomped all the flavor out of it, and it was ground down to a mushy pulp. "Oh my God! Beans," He panted, "This is amazing!"

"Glad you think so." She looked up from her food at him and smiled. "It's one of my momma's favorite recipes to season any bug. Just have to pour two cups of Prairie Clover oil over it, rub in some of the pollen of the Desert Candle over the skin, sprinkle some salt over the top, , embed it next to some more Prairie Clovers for taste, pop it in the oven for about an hour, and you got yourself a fine-tasting bug."

"Well, your mother certainly was a great cook," Rango smiled as he took another bite of the succulent steak.

"She sure was." Bean's cheerful mood seemed to die down a little.

After that, the two sat in silence for another minute, though not an awkward silence, just enjoying the evening, enjoying the delicious meal.

"Hey, Beans," Rango finally spoke up, "Thanks for inviting me over tonight. It's the most fun I've had in a while."

"Glad you're enjoying yourself," She replied simply.

Rango decided to raise his wine glass. He could not think of anything to toast to, so he simply said "Cheers!"

"Cheers!" Beans raised her own glass and clinked it against his, and then they both took a sip. It was a really tasty red wine. Sweet like grape juice, but with the alcoholic punch of cactus juice.

"Say, Beans, where did you get such a good wine?"

"Well, you know the Hummingbird brothers?"

"Jack and Will? Yeah, I know them."

"Well, they're winers. They know a place where you can get freshly picked grapes. They take those grapes from where they find it, mix it with alchohol they purchase from merchants in Dirt, and make this wine."

"Well, they're good at what they do."

"They certainly are. But I guess they would look good if they had no competition!"

"Ha!" Rango laughed at Beans' little joke, how the Hummingbirds were the only winers in Dirt.

Rango took another bite of his rice. Meanwhile, he did not notice but Beans was actually staring at him that cute chameleon face of his. He looked pretty cool in the candle light, pretty hot too, in a way.

She thought back to two weeks ago when she met the funny little man. Back then at first, when she found out in the middle of the desert, he just seemed like a moron who was going to get shot within his first day of being in Dirt. She also felt annoyed with some of the things he said, and how he had cuddled her when she was having one of her 'special times'.

And look at him now. He was a Legend of the West! The Hero of Dirt! And _she_ was dating him! It was almost funny how different the chameleon was now from then. Beans was almost surprised by now that Rango would choose her as his girl. Plenty of female lizards in Dirt would want to date a hero. But then again, Beans was the first to befriend him when he came to Dirt, and by now, they new each other better than anyone else in Dirt, aside from maybe Flapjack in her case, and possibly Wounded Bird, Roadkill, Waffles and Spoons for Rango.

She then noticed that Rango had finished his slab of meet. She rose from her seat and reached for the carving utensils.

"More meet?" She asked.

"Sure. I'd love some more."

"Another piece of the Thorax?"

"Sure. How about some of that tail, too?"

"Comin' up!" Beans started carving the pieces.

As she was cutting up the tail, Rango himself remembered when he first met Beans out in the desert. She was truly the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. It was love at first sight for him. Back then, he had tried his best to act polite and make a good first impression on her, but not with much success. He did not know how to interact with someone from Dirt yet, but he learned pretty quick.

And now, things could not be much happier for him. He was a celebrity in Dirt, and the woman he loved was willing to go out with him. Things seemed to be going quite well for them now.

"Here ya' go." Her voice broke his trail of thought.

"W-what? Oh, thank you." Rango held out his plate as she placed the meet pieces on it.

For a while now, it seemed that the atmosphere had become so romantic for both of them, that a romantic Spanish tune was playing in their minds. Perhaps they had drunken too much wine. But it was then that the suddenly realized that the music was not in their minds. They both turned toward the window, and saw the source of the music: the four members of the Owl Mariachi band.

Rango and Beans glanced at each other, and then started laughing. How long had the mariachi been playing there?

They continued eating for another minute in silence, enjoying the music, the food, and each other's company. After a while, the music stopped at the end of a number. Rango turned out the window to see what was going on.

"It's late, Amigo." Called the violin player, "We're going home."

"Well, thank you for setting the mood for us," Rango called out to them.

"Our pleasure," Smiled the accordion player, the leader of the quartet. "You can take it from here, yes?"

Rango gave them the thumbs up as they all flew off. When they were out of sight, he took his seat again.

Beans spoke up, "There is actually something I've been meaning to ask you."

"What is it, Beans?"

Her face turned a little more serious. "Now, I remember last week when you had that first encounter with Rattlesnake Jake. He exposed you, revealed that the whole Rango persona was just an act, that you made it all up to fit in here. Right?"

Surprised with at the topic, Rango put his fork down for a moment. "Yes, that's true," He said quietly. "But now I've adopted that stuck with that name, and that's who I really am now, in a way. I guess you could say I bought my own con." He tried to let out a small giggle.

"I wouldn't call it that. That makes it sound like something bad, when it was a really good thing, and how you met with the Spirit of the West, and your buddy Roadkill and found your calling from that." She took another bite of her meat before continuing.

"Now _here's_ what I want to know. Who are you really? Who were you _before_ you became Rango?"

Rango's eyes widened, and then he looked down at the table, away from Beans, looking sad. He started remembering his life before the events that led to his new life in Dirt. Comparing now to then was sometimes painful for him to talk about, but at last, he sighed and began talking. But first, a funny thought came to him.

"Hmph, it's kind of funny. I remember when you asked me that question when we first met."

"Yeah, and you didn't answer me back then either," She said, suddenly frowning. "I want you to tell me now."

Rango took another breath and got ready to talk. "Well, before Rango, I was literally nobody. I spent the first half of my life that I remember in what I now know was a box."

"How did you get in there?"

"You know the giants, right? Well, they kept me in that box for their own amusement."

"So, you were stuck in that box all alone?" Beans looked sad. She must have been imagining how lonely he must have gotten for the poor lizard.

"Not exactly. I had a few friends, but of course they were not very good ones. You remember Mr. Tibbs I told you about? He was one of them, there was also a dead bug and a tree from what I remember. And a FAKE tree for that matter. Oh, and you know that first girl in my life I mentioned? In a sense, I guess you would say she was a scarecrow."

"What? Wait, you mated with a scarecrow? A doll?" Beans started laughing as she pictured Rango doing such a thing with a scarecrow.

"Oh, no. We never got that far." Rango answered.

Beans finally calmed down after a second, and went back to listening attentively. "Is that how you got your love of theatre and acting? By going stir crazy?"

"I would not say that exactly. I guess when your world is an empty box, it gets really boring quickly, and you try to come up with as many ways as you can to make your life more exciting. I pretended to put on plays with my friends, playing all sorts of different roles, pretending I was out somewhere on a grand adventure. Doing that made my existence a little more exciting."

Beans took a breath, rubbed her eyes and forehead, and spoke up. "So, basically, what you're saying is that you did not know who you were. You had no name, no family, no friends, no guidance what so ever? And you kept trying to act out a bunch of different characters that you could have been?"

"Yep. That's pretty much what I'm saying. That's been my life mostly." And then Rango spoke up in a more cheerful tone. "But you know something? Until two weeks ago, maybe even just a week ago, I never found the right character for me."

"Well, I certainly think you found your place."

"I think so too." They smiled at each other for another minute before they continued eating.

* * *

><p>About twenty minutes later, most of the grasshopper was gone. The thorax, abdomen, head, and legs all eaten off. Now all that remained were the wings and the exoskeleton. The rice bowl was about half empty, as was the wine bottle. The wine glasses were dry.<p>

Rango and Beans sat in their chairs wordlessly for another minute. They were both so full.

"Wow! I can't believe we ate the whole grasshopper," Beans commented, astounded. "At the market they said it had the potential to feed a family."

"Well, you _did_ do a good job cooking," Rango replied, "I just didn't wanna stop eating!" He felt pretty tired now, as one often does after a big meal.

"Think you have room for dessert?" Beans rose from her chair.

"D-desert?" Rango stuttered. _Seriously? There's more?_

"I'll be right back." Beans staggered back into the kitchen. Rango heard a cupboard door opening and closing. Beans walked back out to the table with a large jar in her hands.

At first, the jar looked empty, but then Rango took another look at it, and saw a thin brown bug sitting around in it.

"That's our dessert?"

"Yep. A mosquito. These things are really sweet. Normally they're pretty hard to find out here in the desert because they're attracted to water, but they sometimes try to take it from plants or certain animals through the blood."

"He certainly does look tasty. I guess I could squeeze him in."

With that, Beans unscrewed the lid and took it off. Before she could grab it though, the mosquito came flying out, startling her.

"Woah!" Rango jumped up from his chair to help.

"Don't let him get away!" Beans tried to grab it, but she missed. It flew toward the window, but Rango cut him off. He shot his tongue at him, but missed.

The pest buzzed around the table. Beans went one way to grab him, Rango went the other, and they both nearly crashed into each other before the pest buzzed out of the way across the table.

Rango ran around again, getting his tongue ready to shoot. Beans figured she had to kill it before they could eat, so she started reaching across the table. She would grab the pest, lift it to her mouth, and take a bit to kill it.

The mosquito fluttered down onto the table to rest a second. Bit mistake! Rango's tongue shot out while Bean's arms reached out and grabbed it by the abdomen and neck. Beans leaned in to bite just as Rango's tongue lurched forth.

As the pest was pinned down and still on the table, it waited for death. As Beans' was about to bite into him, however, her mouth came close to Rango's tongue. Rango pulled himself in from his tongue, and his mouth ran smack into Beans', and they found themselves in a light kiss.

They sat still awkwardly for a moment. They enjoyed the moment. It was a sweet, exciting feeling. A nice taste they tasted on each other's lips and tongue. It would have been much more enjoyable though if they were not staring awkwardly into each other's eyes.

Finally, they laughed and pulled away from each other. The misquito started struggling again, so Beans grabbed the carving fork and stabbed him in the thorax, silencing it. Rango was a bit creeped out.

"You want the upper boddy?" Beans asked as she got up and grabbed the knife. "That's the best part."

"Oh, no. That's okay," He insisted. "You take that. I'll have the tail."

"You know what? No. You're my guest, I should give you the upper body."

"But that's not fair. You deserve it as much as I do." Rango thought for another second, and then snapped as an idea struck him. "How about we split him right down the middle? That way we get an even half."

"Hmph, that's actually a pretty good idea. It might be pretty hard though. I mean, this thing's pretty thin."

"Here. I'll help." Rango walked around the table to her side. She was holding the knife in her right hand, holding the mosquito steady with her left. Rango stood behind her, held her hand over the knife with his own right hand and steadied himself against the table with his left.

She smiled at his cool touch, feeling a little tickle in her mind. He smiled back at her. She lifted the knife and stuck the tip down into the mosquito's head. He tightened his grip on her hand as she started cutting down the rest of the knife, carefully sawing through the bug.

They soon cut the whole thing right down the middle. Its black blood and guts slowly spilled out. Rango took one half and Beans took the other, and they popped them into their mouths.

It was much softer than the grasshopper, probably from not being cooked. It was also much sweeter. It tasted like what an angel food cake would taste to a human, only a little more liquidly.

They both moaned in satisfaction from the delicious taste. "That was delicious, Beans," Rango said after a moment.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"So, now what? It's late, mind if I stay the night?"

"Of course not." She smiled back.

"Oh, thank you." Rango staggered over and sat down in his chair again. Beans stood up, still looking him over lovingly.

"Could you lean up a little more?" She asked as she walked over closer to him.

"What? Lean up?" He stuttered, confused, "against the chair you mean?"

"Yeah."

Rango straitened up in his seat and stood farther up in it. Beans walked up behind him, and Rango felt her gentle hands on his shoulders. She started pressing and pushing against them.

At first, Rango felt his muscles resist her thumbs and fingers, but he quickly learned to let his muscles relax as she rubbed and kneaded them. They relaxed more and more as she massaged him more.

"Oh, Beans, that feels _so_ good!" He whispered as his eyes became droopy. She started reaching down his back, kneading his muscles more as she went along.

Rango felt so calm, so peaceful, so relaxed, so much at ease. This massage mixed with all the food he ate, he felt like he could fall asleep right there in his chair.

"Beans," He managed to whisper, "have I told you you're the most beautiful creature I've ever laid my eyes on?"

"You have a few times," She giggled. "You're not bad lookin' yourself."

Rango enjoyed the massage for another minute before Beans spoke up again. "You know, Rango, I was thinking. How would you like to... take our relationship up a notch?"

Rango's eyes opened a bit at the quesiton.

"What? What do you mean up a notch?" He asked nervously.

"I think you understand," She purred softly in response, lowering her head closer to his ear.

"You mean become closer? Spend more time together?"

"Along those lines."

Rango thought for another second, until finally, he understood what she was saying.

"Oh, I see. Sure, I guess." He grinned nervously

"Okay then." She stopped her massage after another second, and let out a big yawn. "You ready for bed yet?"

"Sure." He rose up from his chair, trying really hard, for he still felt so relaxed.

"My room is upstairs." Beans put her arm around Rango's waist, and he put his around her shoulder.

"Oh, wait, what about the table?" He asked suddenly.

"Oh, pshaw! Don't worry about that. I'll take care of it in the morning."

They helped each other through the kitchen, around the door and up the stairs, leaning on each other the whole way.

**Author's Comments:** **Well, that's the end of chapter 3. I hope all my fans enjoyed it. Sorry for the long wait. I hope this was worth it. Thing is my heart's not really in Rango. Lately its been in another franchise.**

**And don't worry about the next chapter. It will not be a lemon, if anyone thought that.**

**Well, thanks anyone who reads this chapter, and I hope you'll submit a review, or favor the story.**


	4. Chapter 4

Rango was slowly roused from his slumber by a bright light and very comfortable warmth. Groggily, he blinked his eyes a few times, letting his vision clear up. The light and warmth that had woken him was the sun shining through the window on the wall to the right of the bed. It was the only window in Beans' bedroom. The sun had started rising, and the sky was as blue as always, so he figured it was about eight in the morning.

He rolled around to the other side of the bed to see if Beans was still sleeping, but was shocked to see her gone, the blanket sloppily folded back from when she must have gotten up.

She must have gotten up early to go take care of the animals in the barn, Rango thought. She did say a few times that she has to get up earlier for that. I better get up too or she'll think I'm lazy.

He sat up, and stretched out his arms with a groan, and then licked his dry mouth. The sweet aftertaste from the mosquito had gone, and was replaced by the familiar taste of his own spit he always had in the morning. When he was done stretching, he sat up more, turned his legs to the side of the bed, half sliding and half hopping out of the bed.

The night before, he was too tired to have a good look at the room, plus the room was too dark. In the sunlight, he got a better look around. Beans' bedroom looked about the same as the rest of her house, with the same aging wood, but still nicely dusted and well-kept.

The bed he and Beans had slept in was about as wide as her wagon, just big enough for two, with not much personal space, propped up on old wooden legs. The soft sheets, fluffy pillow and hand-sewn red quilt were all very comfortable last night. Beside the bed, on his side, was an old wooden drawer where a melting candle rested.

There was an old tan dresser of a similar material propped against the wall opposite of the window, probably holding Beans' clothes. Above dresser was an oval shaped mirror, about the size of a window, with an old wooden frame. On the dresser itself was an old brass jewelery box, and another picture frame holding another picture of Beans' family, the same one Rango had seen downstairs.

Rango figured that in the jewelery box was the emerald ring that Beans' dad gave her mom when they were married. The box also must have held her mom's earrings and necklace that she said she was fond of. Beans had told him about these things. She said that they were worth a lot of money. How much, exactly, he did not remember. She had said that she almost sold one of them to better support the ranch during the drought, but decided against it.

Rango was tempted to open the box and take a look at the said jewelery, but decided it would be better to wait and ask Beans' permission to see.

Suddenly, a delicious smell broke into Rango's thoughts. It was a warm, buttery, rich, and had a sweet aroma to it. He also smelled another warm smell, though it was thick and bitter. The latter must have been coffee.

"Hun! Breakfast's almost done!" Beans' voice shouted up.

"Huh? Oh! Coming!" Rango called back down. He smiled as he replayed 'hun' in his head. He patted down his wrinkly shirt and straightened out his collar to look neater. His pants lay on the floor just under the bed. He ran over to them and slipped them back up over his boxers.

* * *

><p>Rango hopped down the stairs, a happy pep in his step. At the bottom, he turned through the door into the kitchen. Beans was standing over the stove, holding the handle of a pan filled with a tasty-looking hotcake cooking. Also on the stove was a tall metal pitcher with a lid. It must have had the coffee Rango had smelled.<p>

"Mornin' sweety," Rango walked on up to her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Before he turned back, she turned her head and gave him a quick kiss on the nose.

"Uh, what time did you get up?" He asked.

"Oh, 'bout two hours ago." She replied, turning back to the pan. "Gotta get up early to take care of them animals, you know. They're outside in the fields. Flapjack's taking care-o them."

"Oh, he's back already?"

"Yep. Came in about an hour ago. Seven o'clock sharp, as always."

"Wow, that's pretty cool, that he's back up so early." Now Rango felt more guilty for sleeping in late. "Oh, uh- thanks for letting me sleep in, by the way."

"Sure, but don't get too use to it." She poked the hotcake with her spatula. "Okey-doke, looks like its ready."

Oh, boy! Another one of her home-cooked meals! Rango screamed with glee in his mind. "Well, it sure smells ready!" He said out loud.

"Can ya get the coffee there?"

"Sure." He reached around her and picked up the coffee pitcher by the warm handle.

He followed her over to the dining room table, to the same spot he sat at last night. The table had been all cleaned up from last night, and where the couple had each sat, now was a steaming plate of hotcakes, some un-prickled cactus fruits on the side, all drizzled in some brown syrup. Sunlight was shining through the window to the center of the table, lightening the room some more. There was another pitcher at the center of the table, probably for the syrup. A mug sat beside each plate for coffee.

Using the spatula, Beans slid the last hotcake from the pan onto Rango's plate as he poured the coffee. Then, she turned back towards the kitchen to deliver the pan to the sink.

Rango sat down at his seat after setting down the coffee pitcher. The gourmet that sat before him looked irresistible. He willed Beans to come back to the seat so they could dig in.

* * *

><p>Within a few more minutes, the couple were sitting down, and enjoying the sweet, delicious breakfast that Beans had made for them. Between the two, it was hard to tell which meal was better, the breakfast, or the dinner from the night before.<p>

"How's the hotcakes?" Beans asked at one point.

"Deeee-lish!" Rango cheered. "It's so sweet and fluffy. Perfect thing to start any day with. Your cooking is to die for, Beans. Seriously."

"Thanks, hun." Beans smiled at him, and lowered her fork for a minute.

As he looked up at her smiling face though, he could see a slight ting of sadness in her eyes. What was wrong? What could have possibly started making her feel down now?

"What's the matter?" He asked, suddenly more serious.

"Huh?" She blinked, and in an instant, the sad look in her eyes was almost gone. "Oh, its... it ain't nothin'." She looked back down at her plate and took another bite of her hotcakes.

"Beans, honey, come on." Rango pleaded. "You can tell me anything."

She looked back up at him. "Oh, well... it's just that this is how my Daddy liked his hotcakes. Slightly overdone, with a little maple syrup and cactus fruit. He liked his coffee black though, no creme. I remember when he, Momma and I would sit down together for breakfasts like this. That's all it is." She took another piece of cactus fruit on her fork, and popped it into her mouth.

Rango put his fork down. "Beans, sweety, I know you miss your parents. But you remember what you told me last night? How you were happy? How not matter how hard times got, you always seemed to pull through? How you all loved each other?

She was looking at him the whole time. She took a quick sip of coffee.

"Now, I know your Daddy had his shortcomings, but you said it yourself: overall, he was a great man, right?"

"Yeah... He was."

"I'm sure he's happy, looking down on you from Heaven, watching you enjoy your breakfasts with your handsome boyfriend. Wouldn't ya say?"

Beans' smile became even wider, especially after he said boyfriend.

"Thanks, Rango." She took another sip of coffee.

"Anything to see your beautiful smile." He took another bite of his hotcakes before having a sip of coffee.

The couple took another minute to enjoy the food before Beans spoke up again.

"You know, Rango, I'm really glad you came over last night."

"Me too. Last night was fantastic."

Beans giggled a little as she remembered last night. "You did a great job out with the animals last night, first off."

"Oh, thanks. I'm glad Buck likes me."

They both got a good laugh out of that.

"You did good with the pigs n' hamsters too. They like you for sure now."

"Thanks. Friendly little critters they are." Rango was so grateful last night that those animals gave him much less trouble than Buck did.

"Now, here's what I was thinking," Beans continued, this time a little more seriously. "I was thinking you could move out of your run-down little place in the Sheriff's office, and live up with me on the ranch here. How does that sound?"

Rango stopped eating for a moment and turned to Beans. "Woah! Really? You mean it?"

"Yep."

Rango felt a jolt of excitement in him. "That sounds fantastic. Sure. I'd love to do that."

"Think about it," Beans continued. "You helping me and Flapjack with the animals, having home-cooked meals like these every day, getting to spend more time with me..."

Rango pictured this life that Beans was describing for him. It sounded like absolute paradise. He may have to wake up earlier and maybe get a few more chores around the place, but he could handle that. It was no big deal.

"Only thing is what about my job at the town. Dirt needs its Sheriff, after all."

"Oh, don't worry. I could drive you up every day for when I need to get to Town. And some nights, if you really need to, you can still stay at your office for nights."

"Okay then. Sounds like a great idea. Let's do it."

"Great. We'll grab your stuff on our way into town today and bring it home tonight."

Rango was about to answer, when he suddenly remembered another thing. "Hey, Beans, hun, actually, ya think we can wait for tomorrow for me to move in? See, the Bird and the guys invited me to their poker night."

"Oh, sure thing. No problem."

"Super!"

"Now, lets finish up here. When we're done, we'll just check on the animals one last time before heading out."

Rango gulped. He was still nervous about facing Buck again. But he was sure everything would be okay in the end.

After another few minutes,the food was all eaten up. The couple cleared off the table and washed up the dishes quick. Rango got his hat, vest, and belt from the rack before before they headed outside.

A few hours later, Beans' cart pulled up into the familiar town of Dirt. The heat in the air was far less brutal than the day before. Most of the citizens of the town were wandering about the streets, going about their business. Beans had sold all of what she had to sell the day before. Now it was time to spend the money she earned on some supplies for the ranch. She had said she needed some new horseshoes, some more rice, and a few other knick-knacks and goodies.

Rango was feeling pretty good. Thankfully, he had had no trouble with Buck that morning, and the other animals had been really friendly towards him. They all seemed to like him by now already. He figured there was something special about him that way, the way the animals all warmed up to him so quick. He was confident that in time, Buck would warm up to him too.

"So, we'll each just get to work here, then meet up at the end of the day?" He asked his lady friend at the reins.

"Yep. That's the plan, pretty much." And then she gave a slight smirk. "Maybe I'll even have you handle the reins."

"Sure, why not?" He smiled.

Suddenly, a speckled roadrunner stampeded towards them, and came to a quick halt right before the cart. Riding the bird was a familiar crow dressed in an Indian-style cloak.

"Rango, sir! Thank goodness! You come right on time!" exclaimed Wounded Bird.

"Woah! Bird!" Rango cried out. He sensed the urgency in his partner's voice. "Something wrong, partner?"

"There's trouble. Bad Bill and his gang are on their way to rob the water train coming in from Armadillo Hills."

Rango stood up, ready to spring into action "Where'd you hear that? Did the wind tell you or something?"

"No. They were in the saloon just now talking about it, and I overheard them from outside."

"Oh... Well... good work!" Rango always felt awkward whenever he related one of the many stereotypes about Indians to Bird. He tried to ignore those mistakes and act around them, since Bird never seemed to comment on them.

He hopped down from the cart. "Well, sounds like we got work to do!"

"Yes. Finally, some action!" Bird boomed. "Go mount up. I meet you on the outskirts." And with that, Bird whipped his reins, and his roadrunner, Spirit his name was, dashed forth towards the outskirts.

* * *

><p>Barely a minute later, Rango lurched out of the stables, riding his fine white-feathered roadrunner, Excelsior. They dashed off in the direction Bird had headed off in, past the many pedestrians who gladly cleared out of the way of the charging roadrunner.<p>

He stopped by Beans' cart for a second though. To his surprise, she had not gotten out yet. Spoons and Waffles were standing by the cart too, talking to her.

"So, I'll see ya later?" He checked with her, leaning in to hear her answer.

"Yep. You take care now, hun." She leaned over and gave him a quick kiss.

"Go give 'em hell, Rango!" Spoons cheered.

"Yeah! But be careful!" Waffles added, "Tonights still Poker Night!"

"I'm lookin' forward to it, guys!" Rango nodded to them. "I'll see all of you tonight!" He turned back to the road up ahead. He kicked his spurs ever so gently into his bird's sides, and held the reins.

"Ride like the wind, Excelsior!" He cried.

Excelsior squawked, and charged ahead.

Rango held on to the straps, and felt the cool wind in his face. At one point, his hat almost flew off, but he caught it before it could slip off his head. In a matter of seconds, they were out of the town, where the wind picked up more.  
>As he promised, Wounded Bird and Spirit were out there, waiting for them. As soon as they were close enough, they charged off ahead, heading straight for their destination, eyes on the prize, ready to catch a crook.<p>

"So," Bird asked when they were riding close and steadily enough to talk, "how was your night last night?"

"One of the finest of my life, Bird," Rango answered him with a smile on his face. "I'm tellin' ya, Beans is somethin' else!"

**The End**

**Author's Notes: Well, that's the end of this story. I hope everyone enjoyed it, and I'm sorry I had to hold out on everyone for so long! I'm so happy and proud that I finally finished one of my stories that I've been working on that are decently long.**

**You want to know something interesting? I actually used this story for a creative writing assignment. That is what gave me the extra push I needed to finish here.**

**Well, I'll see you around, my fellow Rango fans!**


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